Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2

What Is the Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2?

The Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 (青木家住宅土蔵（２）, Aokike Jūtaku Dozō Ni) is an L-shaped clay-walled storehouse built in 1915 in Mima-cho, Mima City, Tokushima Prefecture, and registered as a Registered Tangible Cultural Property of Japan in 1998. It occupies the north-west corner of the Aoki estate.

It is a two-storey building of Dozo-zukuri construction under a tiled roof, with a building area of 50 square metres, the larger of the estate's two storehouses. Like Storehouse No. 1, it is recorded by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as having been used in indigo production.

The Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 and Its Place in the Estate

The Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 was registered on 9 October 1998 as number 36-0012, under the criterion for structures that contribute to the historic landscape of the country.

In the plan of the estate it works as a hinge. Storehouse No. 1 is joined to its east, continuing the line of storehouse walls along the road on the north side; the warehouse is joined to its south, closing the western boundary. The northern range and the western range turn the corner here, so that a single building holds the north-west outline of the Aoki Family Residence together.

Its use matters too. The Agency describes the Aoki as a family that once farmed indigo before moving into construction, and the largest storehouse in the corner of the plot is a physical reminder of that earlier trade.

What to Look For at the Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2: The L-Shaped Plan

The Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 is built on an L-shaped plan. In the Agency's words, it reads from outside as a storehouse with its ridge running north to south, with a second, east-west storehouse attached to the east side of its northern end. Two gabled ridges meet at a right angle, and the roofline looks different depending on where you stand.

The walls were finished with the road in mind. The lower parts of the north and west walls are clad in Namako-kabe, a lattice of square tiles with raised white joints, matching Storehouse No. 1 next door. Below the plain Shikkui plaster the tiled band runs on, and the two buildings read as a single storehouse front.

The same cladding wraps two sides because the Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 stands on the corner, where both faces are seen from outside. The finish does not stop at the turn. The aim, evidently, was that every face turned towards the outside world should be dressed.

Seeing the Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2

No opening of the Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 interior has been announced (checked 1 October 2026), so do not plan on going inside.

The best view is from the road on the north side. Standing near the corner you can take in the north face of the Aoki Family Residence Storehouse No. 2 with its tile cladding and the wall of Storehouse No. 1 continuing to the east. To make out the L-shaped arrangement, look at the upper part of the corner where the two roofs meet. The junction with the warehouse to the south lies inside the property and can only be seen if you are admitted to the grounds.